


Cages

by padaholic_316



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Brotherly Love, Gen, J2, Jared Sings, Jensen sings, Nervous Jared, Romantic J2 heavily implied, Songfic, Supportive Jensen, insecure jared, needtobreathe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-16 19:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14817365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padaholic_316/pseuds/padaholic_316
Summary: We all know how Jensen sings at cons all the time now. We also know that Jared sang on Jason Manns' Christmas album and plays guitar, but is generally very shy about performing in public, having only played guitar on stage at a con once. What would it be like if Jensen eventually convinced Jared to sing with him onstage?Since Jensen has sung NEEDTOBREATHE songs before (namely Brother), I had the idea that maybe when Jensen would finally get Jared to sing on stage with him, it would be another NEEDTOBREATHE song, a recent single of theirs called Cages. This is that story.





	Cages

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Cages belongs to NEEDTOBREATHE and Downtown Music Publishing. Jensen and Jared belong to themselves, Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and the CW. 
> 
> Link to the song (PLEASE give it a listen it's amazing): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzVwKh1F-3A
> 
> WARNINGS: None, except: If implied romantic J2 isn’t for you, neither is this fic. 
> 
> For anyone not as familiar (read: borderline obsessed) with NEEDTOBREATHE as I am, brothers Bear and Bo Rinehart are the two primary founding members of the band; Bear does the lead vocals, Bo and the two other band members do backup vocals. I was listening to all the NEEDTOBREATHE songs I have on my phone (which is literally all of their songs but whatever) on shuffle the other day, and one of their most recent singles, Cages, was the first one that played. I've been a NEEDTOBREATHE fan for years, and Cages is, I believe, the first time I have ever heard any other band members join Bear on lead vocals - most notably, his younger brother. Bo's voice is softer, a little more hesitant-sounding than Bear's; naturally, I thought of Jensen and Jared immediately. Bassist Seth Bolt also features on this single and also has a softer quality to his voice, similar to Bo's, but I'm focusing on Bo due to the 'brothers' aspect of this story. 
> 
> Knowing that the boys are at least somewhat familiar with NEEDTOBREATHE, Jensen having performed Brother (to Jared!) at a con before, I like to imagine that this is a scenario that could plausibly actually happen at some point in the future. Jared has now gotten to the point where he's played the guitar on stage once, but he's still only ever sang on Jason Manns' Christmas album. If Jared were ever to be convinced to sing on stage, I'm 99.9% positive it would have to be something he could sing with Jensen, rather than entirely on his own. Cages checks that box perfectly, while also being by a band the boys at the very least have heard of (and that Jensen has sung before), and, as a bonus, being a very Sam-and-Dean song, in my opinion. (Bonus-bonus: that NEEDTOBREATHE is a band formed by two brothers!) Hence, this fic. 
> 
> Any and all comments always appreciated!

~

 

Jared is shaking. 

Jensen can _see_ him trembling, even before he feels it when he slings an arm around the taller man's shoulders. 

"It's gonna be alright, Jay," he murmurs in his friend's ear over the uproarious applause of the crowd as they walk into the stage. The venue's always packed for these karaoke nights at the cons, and it's always loud, but it seems twice as loud now that Jared's at his side, a second microphone standing next to Jensen's. The crowd clearly knows where this is going, and they're beyond thrilled about it. 

'Thrilled', Jensen's pretty sure, is  _not_ the word Jared would use right about now. 'Terrified'? Much more accurate. 

"They love ya," he adds, when Jared's tremors fail to subside. (He knows they probably won't until the song's over, but he has to try.) "All this? They're goin' nuts - all for you, man." 

"Not _all_ for me," Jared insists, ducking his head to reply to Jensen. "Probably not even _mostly_ for me." 

"Hey, look at me, Jay," Jensen demands, knowing a statement like that means Jared's self-deprecating thoughts are starting to get the better of him, and if that happens, the chances of Jared backing out of this are sky-high.

And there is no way in _hell_ Jensen's gonna let that happen, after all the work he's put into getting Jared to believe in himself enough to agree to do this today. 

When Jared finally meets his eyes, Jensen squeezes his shoulder and pours all the love he feels for this man into his gaze. "You can do this," he promises. "I _know_ you can. And I'll be right here with you the whole time." 

Jared takes a deep breath, nods. Gives Jensen a tentative smile. 

And together they turn and face the crowd. 

 

~

 

The band begins to play. Soft, gentle E-flat-majors flowing into A-flat-majors and C-minors and back again. Just guitar and piano, no drums yet - that'll come later. 

Jensen has asked the crowd for quiet, under the guise of this being a softer song (for the most part) and if the crowd gets too loud it'll drown them out, make it harder for them to get through the song - always saying 'us', 'we', making it seem like he isn't just asking for Jared's sake. Because he is, and they both know it - Jensen doesn't mind the applause, hasn't for a while now, the crowd going wild gets him more into the performance, even - but he knows with Jared's nerves the way they are, if everyone goes nuts cheering when he starts singing it'll more than likely throw him off, get him even more nervous. So he says 'we', almost makes it seem like he's the one who needs the quiet - _God_ , what did Jared do to deserve someone like Jensen? 

The instrumental intro hits its last chords, and Jensen starts off the song, singing Bear's part - Jared will take Bo's and Seth's. Fitting, really;  Jensen is the lead singer usually, just like Bear, and Jared's never done this before, similar to Bo and Seth, who up until this song had only sung backup vocals.

Jared also loves how this is a song written and performed by brothers, and the lyrics fit Sam and Dean to a tee. That's mainly why they picked this song for today, besides the fact it was something they could both sing together. Jared can even see Jensen slipping a little into his Dean headspace as he sings the first stanza. 

 

_I'm a broke-nose fighter_

_I'm a loose-lipped liar_

_Searchin' for the edge of darkness_

_But all I get is just tired_

 

It's funny, how they didn't plan it like that, but the lyrics Jensen's singing match up so well with Dean, and Jared's are pure Sam. 

 

_I went lookin' for attention_

_In all the wrong places_

_I was needin' a redemption_

_And all I got was just cages_

 

And now it's Jared's turn. There's a few instrumental measures separating the verses, sixteen beats, quite a bit longer than the two beats on the needtobreathe track. They arranged the song that way by Jared’s request, giving him more time to get ready to sing, but also, unfortunately, more time to get worked up. His heart's racing, palms are clammy, _don't know if I can do this_ -

\- but Jensen's there. Jared looks over at his friend, his brother, and is instantly reassured. Still nervous as hell, but... if Jensen believes he can do this, then he can. 

It takes a second for him to realize that Jensen is only there peripherally, though - that's Dean Jared is looking at. Dean who was just singing.

Helping him realize, suddenly, what he needs to do.

Ignore the crowd - pretend they're not even there.

Just be Sam.

Focus on the words, and be Sam. 

A deep breath. In, out. 

_I can do this._

 

_If I'm bein' real honest_

_I'm fighting uphill battles_

_I can't seem to find the right light_

_'Cause I've been living in the shadows_

 

_I went lookin' for attention_

_In all the wrong places_

_I was seekin' recognition_

_But all I got was just cages_

 

His voice is _so_ beautiful. Jensen can't understand why he's so self-conscious about it - he's just as good a singer as Jensen, if not better in some ways. Jensen can belt it out with the best of 'em, and he can sing soft too, with a smooth tone. But Jared... his voice has such a unique smoky quality to it, which is especially evident when he sings softly (as he nearly always does). Jensen's been working so hard on getting Jared to believe in himself, in his own abilities... and it's finally paying off.

When Jared had first started singing - so softly, so hesitantly - there had been a small uproar of cheering, but with one glare from Jensen, it was quickly quelled enough to not throw Jared off. As soon as he’d paused for the second instrumental interlude, though, it had started right back up again. Jensen knows they won't completely quiet down until the singing starts again. A glance over at Jared reveals that the taller man has his eyes closed, head bobbing slightly to the music, trying to stay in his Sam headspace, Jensen's sure.

Jensen's doing the 'woah-oh-oh's for this longer interlude, standing back from the mic about a foot so they just come in softly in the background, as they're supposed to. Someone in the crowd orchestrates a mass outcry of "WE LOVE YOU, JARED!" halfway through the interlude, prompting Jared to duck his head, blushing bright pink. But as he brings his head back up, opening his eyes, getting ready to start his second solo verse, he meets Jensen's gaze for a split second - and Jensen can see that, while the nerves are still very much there, he's gaining confidence in himself. 

Finally. 

The drums kick in, and, stronger than before, Jared begins to sing again. 

 

_Lookin' back on all the wreckage_

_All I see is their faces_

_How many hearts have I broken?_

_And tell me, are they still breakin'?_

 

He's really feeling Sam's pain in this moment, just as Jensen had felt Dean's when he'd started off the song. 

 

_I went lookin' for attention_

_In all the wrong places_

_I was needin' a redemption_

_Get me out of these cages_

 

And _oh_ , Jared's getting emotional now, getting too into his Sam-space, starting to choke up. It's those last two lines, they're so _Sam_ , and _so_ full of pain, they always get to Jared when the two of them sing this song together. 

Jensen lays a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Grounding him. _I'm here._  

Jared looks over at him, nods. _I know_ , and _thank you_ , reflected back in his eyes.

And now they sing together - Jared on the main melody, Jensen in his falsetto an octave above him. 

 

_Oh, I had a bright white dream_

_Oh, it was pullin' on me_

_Oh, 'til I was almost dead_

_Oh, here in these cages_

 

Now the tempo increases, drums picking up for the climax of the song - and Jared finally relaxes a little. This is the part where he gets to just sit back, listen and enjoy. (This is also the part of the song where, at long last, hope begins to bleed through.) 

Jensen's grinning as the band brings him in, rocking out as he sings the song's high-energy final bridge. 

 

_There's a window in this cage I'm in_

_I can see what kind of man I've been_

_I'm in a prison for a man gone wrong_

_But I've found a future, this is not my home_

 

Jared knows he's probably smiling like a doofus, but he can't bring himself to care. Seeing (and hearing) Jensen go all-in like that... it's one of the most intoxicatingly beautiful things on the planet, in his opinion. 

And he thinks it a thousand times a day, but it hits him in a massive wave as Jensen turns to him, eyes sparkling, just how lucky he is. How lucky he is to just have _met_ Jensen, let alone to have the kind of relationship they have. 

Jensen recreates the position they'd been in as they'd walked on stage, throwing an arm around Jared's shoulders and - _oh_ \- actually bringing him over to his own mic as the band brings the both the tempo and the key back down to where they'd started. 

They sing the last part in unison, just like Bear and Bo, standing and singing together as brothers, Sam and Dean, sharing one mic for the final verse. 

 

_We're a band of outsiders_

_Spent our whole life chasin'_

_Tryin' to climb a little higher_

_But the high just faded_

 

_Went lookin' for attention_

_In all the wrong places_

_We were needin' a redemption_

_All we got was just cages_

 

As the crowd erupts into the loudest applause he's ever heard at a con, Jensen thanks them, but he can't tear his eyes away from Jared's even for a second - nor can Jared look away from him. 

Because they both know that whether they're Sam-and-Dean or Jared-and-Jensen, the only place they need to look for attention, for recognition, for redemption, for love... 

...is to each other. 

 

~

 

**Author's Note:**

> WOW, I banged this out in three days!!! That's suuuuper unusual for me, I usually take weeks just to write one chapter of a story! But anyways. Hope you liked it, and as always, any and all comments are greatly appreciated!


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